Believe? Tell Me Why: Conversations With Those Who Have Left the Church (Fides)

This book addresses questions and uncertainties expressed by those who have distanced themselves from the faith in which they were nurtured as children. Their faith is still there, flickering in the depths, but it is surrounded by doubts and prejudices. Pagola understands their reluctance to search the past for those once-comforting certainties, and is aware of their unwillingness to return to the beliefs and practices of former times. Offering guidance in their need for understanding various things about the faith, Pagola proposes not a process of catechesis, or meetings for religious formation, or prayer meetings for believers. Rather, he suggests that the most helpful way through this stage would be to make the return journey with a group of fellow seekers who are taking the first steps toward a new faith by sharing their anxieties and experiences with others.